Clinical trial will explore whether Tecovirimat can reduce time it takes for skin lesions and ulcers to heal
The first clinical trial in patients with monkeypox of an antiviral drug that could speed their recovery has begun in the UK.
It is thought the drug prevents the monkeypox virus from leaving infected cells, thereby stopping replication within the body, shortening the infectious period and allowing symptoms to clear faster. Platinum is being run by the team who led the Recovery trial, which explored possible drugs for acute Covid, and has already begun recruiting patients. The team hopes results may be available before Christmas, saying Covid underscored the importance of running clinical trials to provide results during an outbreak.
Monkeypox outbreaks are under way in a host of countries where the disease is not endemic, including the UK and US, with cases largely seen among men who have sex with men.a public health emergency of international concern.“About 10% of patients end up in hospital, sometimes with quite nasty complications,” said Prof Sir Peter Horby, the co-lead of the trial at the University of Oxford, noting these could include bacterial infections, brain inflammation and – rarely – death.